Joe Clarke wrote:
I would have liked Michael Nutter to respond to his
critics in the debate at WHYY that the primary rights to_ life, liberty_
and the pursuit of happiness are denied when your kids can't play in the
street and where criminal (versus martial) law rules the neighborhood.
yes, I thought that was a crucial moment that got lost in
that debate -- poor marty m-c, trying to keep some sense of
order among all those gents talking over one another! but,
more importantly, what did that show us about the
candidates, who cared less about the principles at stake and
more about the winning sound bite? I, too, was disappointed
in nutter at that moment, for failing to address the
principle at stake (but maybe for reasons different than
yours?) you concluded:
Individual rights do not arise out of a vacuum, but are the
privilege and product of a of a sane, responsive and just
society that recognizes the legitimate limits of individual
political rights against the complex and diverse demands of
the greater good, which has the protection of everyone's
rights to these same privileges.
I think framing the question as 'individual' 'political'
rights vs 'societal' 'greater good' rights is misleading. an
individual's right to equality under the law is fundamental
and needs protection -- precisely because we ARE a group, a
society, that creates and applies these laws. it's like what
al is always quoting (ben franklin?):
"those who would sacrifice liberty for security
deserve neither"
or something like that. also, something glenn said in an
earlier post rocked:
"I would say our society forms policies driven by anger
and too many of us have lost commitment to principals,
which were supposedly treasured in our American myth. We
have gotten so utilitarian that we've also lost our
compassion."
I would say that we have gotten so consumerist that we've
lost our citizenship. ends justify means, outcomes trump
process, competition beats cooperation...
over and over again we (and our leaders) fail to ensure that
those with the most access to power (however you want to
define that) have the most responsibility to those who have
the least. and that's a concept far older, and deeper, and
universal, it seems to me, than franklin or monarchs, than
the church of england or the u.s. bill of rights. and it
seems to me our not respecting that concept is what gets us
into our present difficulties in the first place.
anyway, I've been seeing a lot of bob brady signs out and
about. what do people here think of him? [I have no opinion]
..................
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN
[aka laserbeam®]
[aka ray]
SERIAL LIAR. CALL FOR RATES.
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